Russia resorts to hypersonic missiles in Ukraine as China urges de-escalation

Russia resorts to hypersonic missiles in Ukraine as China urges de-escalation
A general view of market Barabashovo after a fire caused by shelling, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 19, 2022. REUTERS/Oleksandr Lapshyn

Russia has upped the ante in Ukraine and is now claiming again to have used hypersonic missiles that go more than two miles per second. This comes after things on the ground just weren’t going according to plan for Russian forces, with many saying that Russia underestimated Ukraine’s defense. With this, experts think that there will likely be far more civilian casualties than before.

Almost every major world democracy has condemned the actions of Russia, but India stands somewhat apart from the crowd. Because of its massive ties to the Russian defense industry, India argues that it needs to buy weapons from Russia to fend off its Asian neighbor China.

And speaking of China – President Biden and President Xi had a meeting on Friday that one diplomat described as “extraordinarily frank.” Afterward, though, the top Chinese envoy to the US said that China would do everything it could to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine.

Key comments:

“I would not see it as a game changer. I think the reason that [Putin is] resorting to using these types of weapons is because he’s trying to reestablish some momentum,”  US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday.

When asked if China would condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the top Chinese envoy to the US responded by saying, “Don’t be naive, condemnation doesn’t solve the problem. I would be surprised if Russia will back down by condemnation.” Instead, he said, China would continue to encourage peace talks.

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